Like Paper
by ordinary.egg
Summary: You never become aware of someone until they touch your skin for the first time and it feels like you're on fire. AU
1. i

A/N: I came up with this idea on a 20 minute bus ride home.

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the quotes used within the story. The plot is original and belongs to me.

* * *

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl,

and her laughter was a question

he wanted to spend his whole life answering."

-Nicole Krauss, _The History of Love_

 _._

Hinata was never one for parties. The music was too loud, the food too tasteless, the people too drunk. It was also too crowded, too humid, it reeked of sweat and cheap perfume, not to mention the overwhelming amount of people making out wherever you looked. It was all too much for the Hyuuga child, nauseating almost.

She would much rather be at home eating a whole tub of ice cream and binge watching _How I Met Your Mother_ than be here. Yet there she was, standing awkwardly unsure of whether to stop one of her best friends from drinking her 6th shot that night.

"Ino.. I think that's enough." she moved toward her friend, making an attempt to grab her slender arm.

The blonde slapped her hand out of the way, "No, fuck off. I wanna drink my sorrows away." Ino slurred out. Hinata rolled her eyes.

"Drop the shot glass." Hinata demanded. Ino complied. With a shattering sound that echoed throughout the room, the shot glass was now in pieces on the hardwood floor, "I guess that works too," she said, eyeing the broken shards making sure to avoid them when walking the two of them to an empty space on the sofa, "sit here, I'll be back with some water."

Why was she here again?

She didn't even know whose house this was. She was only here because Ino had (stupidly) decided to come here because her on-and-off relationship with Sai seemed like it was going to be off for a while. Of course one of their other friends who was more used to these kind of things could have been here but alas, they weren't: Sakura was on vacation with her family, Tenten was probably off with Neji somewhere, and Temari was busy getting ready for her first year of college.

This sucked.

* * *

After shuffling through sweaty bodies of people she didn't know, she reached the almost empty kitchen. Almost because as soon as she walked in, there was a couple furiously making out on the island counter. She wouldn't say it out loud but she thought it was indecent. Trying the ignore the scene before her, she kept walking.

"Excuse me?" sneered an unfamiliar voice. Hinata froze. Was the girl speaking to her? She turned around praying that she wasn't but the odds were against her. The girl was on the cheerleading team with Ino but her name escaped Hinata's mind. It didn't matter though, "Is being in _love_ and wanting to express that love to _my boyfriend_ so repulsive to someone as," she eyed Hinata up and down, "goody-goody like you?"

At first, she was confused. What had she done to have upset her? It's not like-"Don't act innocent. I heard you say that you thought what we were doing was 'indecent'." the girl got off her boyfriend and strutted towards her.

Hinata hated confrontation, she really did. To put it bluntly, it made her act like a fool. She would stutter and fidget with her fingers like when she was younger. These habits went away when she entered high school but always came back during her times of panic. And she was panicking hardcore.

"I didn't mean-it's just-I'm s-sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it," her breath smelled of alcohol, "I don't need some outsider to tell me-" To her surprise as well as Hinata's, she was cut off abruptly as someone had snatched Hinata's arm and dragged her away.

"I'm gonna borrow her, thanks!" Yelled the person who kidnapped her (rather saved her) from the cheerleader. Without thinking, Hinata ran with this person. She just wanted to leave at this point. And hopefully, the girl wasn't following her.

* * *

After escaping that problem, Hinata realized that she had another one. She didn't recognize the person taking her away. From behind, his messy brown hair made it seem like he had just woken up. He was noticeably taller than she was as well. 5'8"? 5'9"? She was only about 5'2 ¾" (that ¾ inch mattered). And even though it was dark, she thought his arms looked nice for lack of a better word.

"Thanks." He said with an amused tone.

"For what?" She replied.

"The comment about my arms," he stated, "glad I didn't skip arm day yesterday."

She blushed and stayed quiet the rest of the way.

* * *

They stopped in a fairly quiet area of the house. To Hinata's surprise, there actually wasn't anyone there.

"Thanks for saving me back there," she inhaled in order to catch her breath, "where.. are we?" she gave the place a quick glance full of curiosity.

"An off limits place."

If Hinata were drinking something, she surely would've choked. For starters, she was a stickler for rules. And secondly, she'd never been in trouble before and certainly didn't plan on ever getting in trouble, especially at a party where underage students were drinking, "Why are we here then? Let's get out of here before we're caught!"

Before she even had time to start running, he held onto her arm again and kept her back, "It's cool, we can be here."

He let go of her arm as she spoke, "But.. you just said it was off limits? What if we get caught? How can you be so sure?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He managed to say as he chuckled.

"And you're not answering any of them."

He gave her a puzzled look, "This is my house."

Silence.

"...O-oh." She stuttered out, feeling her face grow warm as the awkward silence dragged on.

He laughed again, "I'm just messing with you, this is my senior's place. We're good friends so he usually let's me come here."

She nodded, then a question came to mind, "So why'd you bring me here?"

He paused for a moment and then asked, "What's your name?"

"Hinata Hyuuga but that-" He cut her off.

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east," a gentle smile laced his tan face, "and Hinata is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

It was quiet for a moment until the Hyuuga child began to clap to which he grinned and bowed, "Thank you, thank you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my fans." he said in a mocking voice.

"That was quite a convoluted way of saying 'because you're pretty'," she stopped clapping and clasped her hands together, "but it was very sweet of you. I wouldn't have taken you to be a Shakespeare fan."

"I am an enigma." He smirked, showing his sharp canine-like teeth. She giggled at his behavior.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked her.

"Water, I'm not much of a drinker." A part of her couldn't shake the thought that she was forgetting something.

"I'll be back then, milady." He teased.

What a weird guy she thought.

"I heard that."

She really had to stop thinking out loud.

* * *

Shortly after, he came back with drinks in hand and the two of them talked. They talked about their summer activities:

"You work?" She questioned.

"My family owns a dog shelter. The dogs are super friendly and only occasionally bite."

their summer reading assignment which neither of them had started:

"I don't care about this dumbass book. Why do teachers make us suffer?"

She tried to console him, "It shouldn't be too bad."

"It's about a fucking man who was great whatever the fuck that means."

they even shared random little tidbits about each other.

"You really don't swear?" His voice filled with amazement and a little bit of admiration for the girl in front of him.

"It really isn't that hard.."

When he had finished his drinks, he was slightly tipsy. Hinata wasn't surprised. She gave him the rest of her water, "Take it, you'll thank me later."

She was certain she was forgetting something now. But what?

"Hey wanna hear a funny story?" He mumbled out.

She agreed to listen to the drunken boy, "Tell me."

"So," he began, "it was during the winter and my senior friend and I were walking back from a party. And there was like… ice everywhere right? And we were walking downhill right? And then I was like 'yo wouldn't it be funny if I slipped?' and then guess what? I SLIPPED." He threw his arms up in the air as if he were on a rollercoaster, surprising the girl next to him.

Normally, Hinata wouldn't laugh at something like this. But it was 2 AM and there was a drunk boy with eccentric behavior right next to her telling her a story about an unfortunate coincidence. And she laughed. She laughed until there were tears in her eyes.

"Woah." He slurred with surprise.

"Hmm?" She squeaked out as she wiped away a tear.

"Your laugh."

"What about it?"

"You have a pretty laugh too."

She slapped his arm playfully, "Shut up, you're just drun-," then she remembered that there was a blonde mess (hopefully) sitting on the sofa waiting for her to bring her some water, "Oh my god, I forgot about Ino."

She got up to run back to the crowded and loud and humid party but paused and turned back around, "I didn't get your name."

"What's the magic word?" He joked, giggling by himself.

She didn't really have time for games, "Please?"

"Actually it was pickle but I'll let you off the hook since I kidnapped you," he grinned care-freely, "The name's Kiba Inuzuka."

"Kiba.. Sorry, I have to get to my friend. See you around!"

He nodded as she left him there alone. He sat there for a while with a frown etched onto his face. But after fifteen minutes, it finally dawned on him, "She thinks we'll see each other again."

* * *

When Hinata reached the living room, she thanked the heavens that Ino was still on the couch albeit drooling and with mascara dripping down her face. With the water in hand, Hinata tried to wake the blonde up, "Hey sleepyhead, I have your water."

Ino groaned, "What took you so long? It's been like 7 hours."

"I wasn't gone that long." It was only about 2 hours according to her calculations.

"Whatever," she waved it off, "let's go home. I'm done with Sai's shit for today."

Giving Ino the water, Hinata latched one arm around her friend to keep her up and slowly walked towards the front door. It was a long night for the both of them.

* * *

After dropping Ino off at her house, she drove straight back to her house as quick as possible. It was 3 AM when Hinata got home.

And right when she got home, Neji was waiting there with his arms crossed, "Explain."

Hinata squirmed under his gaze. Even though they were cousins and quite close at that, she knew that Neji was someone who was intimidating when push comes to shove, "Um.. I was at a party with Ino.."

"You know Hiashi's rules when it comes to parties, Hinata." He stated as a matter of fact. It was true. The policy was if you wanted to go to a party, you would have to come home before midnight or exactly at midnight. Not after.

"But Neji," she started, "father isn't even home. Can't you cut me some slack this once?" she was begging him. It was one thing to be on Neji's bad side, but it was another thing when it came to her father.

He sighed, defeated, "You're lucky he's abroad for the time being."

As he spun around to go back to his room, he heard her small but grateful thank you and continued forward, closing the door behind him. He thought to himself that it was unusual that Hinata would forget such a rule, however, he shook the thought away and went to sleep.

Hinata tip-toed up the stairs to her bedroom and shut the door as quiet as she could to not wake up Hanabi in the next room over. Taking her hair out of her high ponytail, she grabbed her pajamas and went to take a well-deserved shower.

* * *

It was already 4 in the morning when she got out of the shower. Returning to her dimly lit room, she plopped down into her spinney chair and took out a piece of star paper. Hinata loved origami, especially paper stars. Everyday since freshman year, Hinata had written down memories on pieces of star paper before she folded them. She planned on opening them when she graduated high school which she was already halfway done with.

She thought back to her day and only one thing was worth mentioning:

 _July 28th, 2014: Today, I met Kiba Inuzuka. He's a weird boy._

Folding the paper carefully, she placed it in one of her many star jars and closed the lid afterwards. She then sluggishly walked to her bed, pulled over the covers, got in, and turned off the lights.

* * *

A/N: things that might need clarification:

[age] everyone will be between the ages 17-19

[time] its mid-summer/towards the end of summer break

[characters] i want use the bare minimum of characters so the main ones will probably be hinata, kiba, naruto, and ino. anyone else mentioned will be minor characters or briefly mentioned for the sake of plot

[other] critiques are welcome, reviews are welcome, questions are welcome

i hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


	2. ii

A/N: The trouble of being a writer is that you're never really quite satisfied with your work..

I changed some things in the last chapter (It's The Great Gatsby as the summer assignment and the date of which they met). Sorry ;;

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the quotes used within the story. The plot is original and belongs to me.

* * *

"Wittgenstein once wrote that

when the eye sees something beautiful,

the hand wants to draw it.

I wish I could draw you."

-Nicole Krauss, _The History of Love_

 _._

When the pale-eyed girl opened her eyes, her first reaction was to grab her phone and check the time.

 _10:08 AM_.

This was the first time that summer break that she had woken up later than she had planned. On most days, she woke up at 8 and at the latest, 8:10 to maximize her time. But this? She was a whole _2 hours and 8 minutes_ behind schedule. Jolting out of bed, she rushed to the bathroom to get ready and seize the already 2 hour wasted day.

Putting on a light grey overall dress over a white tee with opaque tights and a gold bracelet, she gave herself a once over in the mirror. After adjusting her outfit, she opted for curling her long dark navy hair to which she spent an unnecessary amount of time doing. Because of her thick hair, the curls never really stayed. They just ended up being soft beach waves instead. Usually she would care but she had wasted another hour getting ready.

As she zipped down the stairs and into the brightly lit hallway, she greeted her sister who was seated comfortably on the sofa watching TV, "Morning Hanabi."

"You're up late."

"Please don't remind me." she muttered as she quickly grabbed her purse off the hook and slipped on her black pointed toe lace up flat oxfords.

Hinata opened the door and hopped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. She decided against taking her car since it was quite refreshing to be outside. Sure it would take more time to walk but there were exceptions to her little self-made rule.

She made her way down the long path to the gates of her house. As she strolled down the gravel road, she stopped to pick up a few daisies. She was heading to the coffee shop that Tenten and Sakura were working at and thought it might be a nice gesture to surprise them albeit a little late. Grabbing a few and placing them in her hand, she then picked up the pace and jogged to Coffee Princess.

* * *

At around 11:30, the Hyuuga girl reached the cafe. She peeped in through the cafe's window to see if her friends were still there. Sure enough there they were, idly standing around behind the counter. The corner of her lips upturned with amusement. Hinata moved to go open the door but someone else had beaten her to it. She shifted her head to see who had been so kind.

It was a boy around her age, maybe a little older. He had bright yellow hair that stuck out in all different directions and eyes the color of the sky on a clear day. She didn't mean to stare but the boy in front of her was cute, handsome even.

He waved a hand in front of her, "Are you alright, miss?"

Snapping out of it, Hinata closed her once gaping mouth and responded shakily, "Oh.. y-yeah I'm alright. Sorry about t-that.."

He grinned widely and exclaimed with a booming voice, "That's good to hear! C'mon let's go inside!"

* * *

The blonde haired boy, who had introduced himself as Naruto Uzumaki, chatted with Hinata all the way to the counter. As Naruto ordered a regular coffee with more sugar and cream than recommended, Hinata watched in embarrassment as her two friends giggled and whispered into each other's ears. She hoped that they wouldn't make things awkward.

"So," began Tenten, "how did you guys meet?"

The Hyuuga child felt her face warming up.

"Funny story, we just met actually!" he chuckled, "She was just staring off into space all dazed. The look on her face was-"

Hinata zoned out once again. If she didn't, she was going to set on fire from blushing so hard.

Naruto paid for his coffee and took a large sip, burning himself in the process, "HOT!"

As he wiped coffee residue that he had spilled on himself, he glanced at the clock behind the counter and let out a small yelp, "Shoot, I'm gonna be late!"

He packed up his things and zoomed towards the door. Before he left, he shouted, "See you guys tomorrow!"

* * *

"Earth to Hinata." said a concerned pink haired girl. She poked the dark haired girl a few times before she gave a response

"Why.. am I so embarrassing?" she whispered as she moved forward and leaned her head against the countertop. She let out a defeated sigh.

"Don't do that Hinata," Tenten patted her friend's hair, "the counter is super dirty."

Sakura hit her arm and mouthed to her that it wasn't the right time. Tenten rubbed the quickly bruising area and continued, "What I meant to say was, it's not that big of a deal."

With her forehead still pressed against the cold surface, she muttered, "Yes it is. He probably thinks I'm some weirdo."

"Well look on the bright side," started Sakura, taking the flowers from Hinata's hand, "you can always change his mind."

"What?"

"He comes here everyday at around the same time. Just come back tomorrow."

At that, Hinata's head jolted up, "Are you serious?"

The pink haired girl nodded.

* * *

When the pale-eyed girl opened her eyes the next day, her immediate action was to close them again. It's too early she thought.

She wanted to see him again.

Of course she didn't want to seem too eager. If she woke up casually at around 10 AM and casually strolled down the street and casually bumped into him at the coffee shop, she wouldn't look too weird.

And that's what she did. This time, she woke up at 10:03 AM for the sake of not being too exact and threw on an outfit that _obviously_ wasn't prepared the night before. As she got ready, she practiced possible things to say when she saw him again at the coffee shop.

"Hello Naruto.." She muttered under her breath. Shaking her head disapprovingly she continued to mutter, "Too formal."

It went on like this until she perfected her first sentence that she was sure wouldn't seem like she was too excited to meet him. She smiled and congratulated herself.

After checking the clock, she rushed down the stairs and slipped into her flats. Hanabi was out with her friends so Hinata said farewell to the television instead. She wasn't usually this superstitious but meeting a cute boy was at stake. She didn't want to risk it.

Hinata swung open the large door in front of her and jumped out onto the pavement, closing the door behind her. She took more daisies into her hand like she did the previous day. Just in case.

She really didn't want to risk it.

* * *

Arriving at the cafe, Hinata took a peek through the window to see if he was there. And there he was, sitting in the back corner drinking his "Caution: HOT!" coffee. She couldn't help but smile. She patted her clothes to smooth out any wrinkles and walked in. Casually of course.

"Hey," she began, "Nice to see you again." Success.

"Agreed! Nice outfit by the way. It really suits you."

Uh oh she thought. She wasn't prepared for a compliment this early on in the conversation or one at all. She panicked:

"T-thanks, nice pants!"

She started to sweat. What kind of lame compliment was that? At this point, Hinata was racking her brain for any sort of response to save her dissipating dignity.

"I-I mea-"

"Ya really think so?," he takes a look at his faded jeans that have holes on the knees then back at the girl before him and smiles, "Thanks! Truth is, I love these jeans but everyone usually tells me that they're disgusting and that I should just toss 'em. You're the first one to tell me that they're nice."

"You s-shouldn't listen to them!" she blurted out, "If they make y-you happy, you should keep them. It's your clothes s-so you can d-do what you want with them…"

Naruto stared in awe at the girl in front of him, face flushed yet also pale. It was then that his laughter was heard throughout the whole store, "You're something else, Hinata. Thank you for your encouraging words, I really appreciate them."

He stood up and patted her shoulder, "It was nice talking with you! See ya around."

He strolled out the door, whistling the one song that everyone knew but no one knew the title to. Hinata watched him until she could no longer see him before she sunk into the chair that she was leaning on. Moments later, Sakura and Tenten appeared out of nowhere giggling.

"Nice pants, Hinata."

"S-shut up…"

* * *

After being teased for 5 minutes, Hinata decided it was about time to leave. She definitely could've left before the teasing had started but even Hinata agreed that the conversation was awkward, especially after her weird comment about Naruto's disgusting jeans to which she actually thought were kind of disgusting. Kind of. But the conversation, if one could call it that, wasn't as bad as it could've been. At least no one cried, she thought. Well, she almost cried but that's beside the point.

On her way back home, she discovered a kitten hiding in the bush - a small orange tabby with the clearest blue eyes she had ever seen next to a certain bright haired boy. The kitten cautiously walked out of the bush and circled Hinata's feet. She bent down to pet it's head, causing the kitten to purr happily. Her heart warmed as her facial features softened.

The kitten meowed as it trotted away from her reach. It look back at the Hyuuga child before full on running into the bush. The girl stood up and patted her clothes down to prevent any wrinkles from showing. She stopped by the bush and placed a half eaten pastry from the coffee shop on the curb, in case the kitten wanted it later. Hinata continued walking, a slight spring in her step. She hummed the song that everyone knew but no one knew the title to.

* * *

Once she reached her home, she raced up the stairs to her room and promptly hopped onto her bed. Hinata then grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly as she rolled wildly all over her bed, making high pitched squealing sounds. When she finally calmed down, she stared at the ceiling before a smile graced her face.

She immediately sprung up and grabbed her dusty sketch pad. She flipped through pages of sketches and scribbles dated from who knows when until there was a blank sheet. She felt the urge to draw. To draw his bright yellow hair, his cerulean eyes, his warm smile, even his gross-ish jeans; all of him.

After an hour she held up the finished piece in the light coming through the window, making it almost as illuminating as the real person. Almost. Nothing could ever compare to the real deal she thought.

"He thinks we'll see each other again." she whispered.

After staring at it for a while longer, she put the sketchbook back in it's original place and looked around her desk to find some star paper. Taking a piece, she jotted down her most recent memory:

 _July 31st, 2014: Naruto said he'll see me around even after I weirdly said nice pants._

* * *

A/N: [update] it's been over 3 months since my last update.. whoops

[update pt2] yikes lmao idek how long ago i promised to finish this chapter but i am here now so

can't wait until 2 years when y'all get the next chapter! (jk hopefully not 2 years but we'll see)

also sorry if the characters seem a lil ooc bc i haven't watched or read naruto in a long time

[story] all the major characters have been introduced (in some shape or form)! i'm really excited to see how things work out for this story since i have many ideas :^)

also the history of love by nicole krauss is a great book i highly recommend.

[other] criticisms are welcome, reviews are welcome, questions are welcome

hope you enjoyed!


	3. iii

A/N: fun fact: chapters with quotes from the book are important :-) (these chapters are still important but ya kno what i mean)

disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the quotes used within the story. The plot is original and belongs to me.

* * *

"No Quote"

.

Hinata woke up before the alarm even rang.

 _6:52 am_.

In actuality, Hinata struggled to get to sleep. Maybe it was because it was the first day of school excitement or maybe it was the coffee she had late at night because she was craving something bittersweet. Regardless, she had slept for maybe an hour or 2 that night despite going to bed relatively early.

She got up and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face; there was nothing she could do about that lack of sleep she got. After brushing her teeth and hair, she went back to her room and threw on a pair of high waisted denim shorts as well as a loose fitting white cold shoulder top that she partially tucked in. Taking a look in her mirror, she opted for tieing her hair up in a high ponytail. Once satisfied with her look for the first day, she grabbed her backpack and hopped down the marble steps.

At the bottom of the stairs was Neji, waiting. His arms were crossed with a sour expression on his face. Like Hinata, Neji had gotten little sleep as well, "Hurry up and eat breakfast otherwise we'll be late."

Hinata didn't retort. Neji was the kind of person to want to arrive at least 15 minutes early to any event regardless of it's importance. It was only 7:50 am and in order to make it in time by car, they would have to leave within 10 minutes. Acknowledging her cousin's wishes, she went straight to the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast table where the chef had already prepared a spinach and bacon omelette. Sitting towards the window was Hanabi, reading a book while sipping on her orange juice.

"Good morning Hanabi." stated Hinata as she picked up a fork and knife to cut into her delicate omelette.

"...Morning." replied Hanabi without looking up from her book.

Hinata ate in silence.

* * *

The three Hyuuga children arrived at the entrance of the school. They chatted along the way but it was all small talk and nothing more. It couldn't be helped; the three of them weren't much of talkers. They all went their separate ways after entering the crowded door.

Hinata maneuvered her way through the crowd towards her locker in the left wing. The worst part about attending a fairly large high school is that you can still be lost even after spending 2 years there. It took the Hyuuga girl a few weeks before she finally memorized where her classes were and a few more weeks to remember where her locker was.

"I wonder how Hanabi is adjusting to the new atmosphere…" muttered Hinata under her breath as she reached her destination. Ino and Sakura were already there, chattering a away.

"Hey guys." said Hinata with a soft smile.

The two turned to look at the Hyuuga girl and beamed, "What's up girl!" shouted Ino. Sakura laughed and greeted Hinata as well.

"Did you guys already put away your stuff in your lockers?" said Hinata as she removed her backpack and took out her textbooks to place inside their home for the year.

Ino and Sakura nodded in unison, "Yeah, unlike you, Hinata, we live 5 minutes away by foot. We got here early to put away our things before the school turned into a zoo." replied Sakura as she glanced around the student filled hallway. Ino's once soft smile turned into a devilish grin.

"Looking for Sa-su-ke, Sakura?" teased Ino, making sure she emphasized each syllable of his name. Sakura turned bright red and instinctively punched her in the arm.

"Ow, use your inhuman strength for something else, Forehead!" screamed Ino at the girl beside her. She rubbed her quickly bruising arm.

"Shut up, Pig. Maybe I am looking for him, why do you care?"

"No reason," she shrugged, "just wanted to mess with you."

Hinata giggled at her friend's antics, "You guys ready to head to the assembly?" she stated as she closed her locker shut.

"Yeah, let's go!" exclaimed Sakura and Ino agreed.

* * *

They reached the auditorium where hundreds of students were settling in. After spending a few minutes searching for a place to sit, they spotted Tenten in the middle left side of the room sitting next to Neji and Rock Lee. If they hadn't seen her, they surely would've when they heard Rock Lee shout at his best friends about youth.

The three of them made their way to the middle and greeted Tenten as well as the other two with her. Ino, who sat next to the older girl, whispered something in Tenten's ear to which she promptly blushed and denied whatever Ino had just commented.

"Classic Ino making everyone embarrassed." muttered Sakura.

Hinata shushed her friend while smiling, "She'll make a ruckus if she hears you!"

"Yeah, you right." The two laughed it off as Hinata glanced at the time. 8:17 am.

"Hey I'll be right back, I'm going to the bathroom."

"Better hurry, it's gonna start soon." shouted Tenten at Hinata's back.

The rest of the group acknowledged the girl's statement and turned back to their conversations. Neji, however, turned his attention towards the Hyuuga girl leaving the auditorium, a blank stare graced his face. He turned back around in his seat when he saw her exit.

* * *

The noise dulled as Hinata left the assembly room. There were still a few students lingering in the hallways Hinata noticed. Turning to the left, she moved onto searching for the closest bathroom that she could find. She made another left hoping that it would lead her to somewhere that she recognized. As she cautiously paced herself down the corridor, she observed the room numbers and how they decreased in number just like the amount of students roaming around her. It wasn't until Hinata reached the end of the hallway where she made eye contact with a familiar face, pausing their frantic scribbles in their summer reading book.

"Hey." he blurted out while staring at the girl before him. It had been a while since he saw her.

To be honest, the boy in front her had scared her. She hoped that he didn't notice her little jump when they suddenly locked eyes, "H-hey Kiba…"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, focusing his attention back on the book in his grasp, "Shouldn't you be at the assembly?"

"I should ask you the same thing."

A small pause.

"Uh, you right." An awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Another small pause.

"Do you need any help?" offered Hinata. She sat beside him as she took a look at his so called 'progress'. There wasn't much substance to his annotations. Kiba took away his book, a rosy color lingering on his tan face. He managed to mutter out a small no before looking back at his annotations again.

"So how have ya been since the last time we saw each other?" he asked out of the blue.

Taken aback by the sudden question, it took Hinata a second to think of a response, "Fine. I didn't really go out after that night." She stated with a small smile.

Kiba laughed in response, "Glad to hear you've stayed out of trouble then!"

"Well," she began, "Not exactly."

She told the story of how she had locked herself out of the car one rainy morning after leaving the coffee shop that Tenten and Sakura worked at. Hinata explained that on that particular morning, both Tenten and Sakura were off duty but Hinata had came to see if the blonde haired and blue eyed boy was there.

"Blonde and blue eyes?" questioned Kiba, "By chance was his name Naruto? Uzumaki?"

Hinata's eyes lit up at the sound of his name, "Yeah! How did you know that?"

Kiba frowned, "He's the guy I know who let's me chill in his house on the upper floor. At the party."

Her gaze softened, "Seriously? What a small world..."

"Anyway, continue with your story." Kiba spat out. Hinata took note of his change in tone and attempted to make it short.

"Um… so after I saw that he wasn't there, I decided to just go in and buy an iced coffee since it seemed like such a waste to go and not get anything." Hinata's face began to turn red as she remembered the humiliating scene. When she went to go reach for the keys in her purse, she noticed that they were not there. Double checking all her pockets and starting to panic, she set her iced coffee on top of the car and dialed Neji for help.

"And then Neji-" Hinata was promptly cut off as the stern voice of none other than Neji interrupted.

"What about me?"

"N-neji…!" shock overcame her as she looked at the pale boy in front of her. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

"You're missing the assembly."

"Oh yeah… the assembly." Hinata stood up and patted her clothes, ridding her of any dust particles.

"Good luck with your annotations, Kiba." she whispered as she waved goodbye to the Inuzuka boy. In Hinata's mind, she thought about how she always ended up forgetting the time with him. And this time, heading to the bathroom as well.

Kiba watched her retreating back as she got farther away from him until she was out of sight.

A moment passed.

"Fuck Gatsby."

* * *

The assembly finished and the students filed out into their respective first period classes. Classes were cut down to 30 minutes instead of the regular 50 minute classes, meaning that learning could still occur regardless of the fact that it was the first day of school.

"This is cruel!" groaned out Tenten as she hung her head in disappointment.

The feeling was quickly diminished as soon as Neji patted the top of her head tenderly. Her once upset face softened as she turned to the Hyuuga boy, beaming. The pair said their goodbyes to the rest of the group as they made their way to their first class. The rest of the group stayed to chat a little bit longer before ultimately heading their separate ways as well.

* * *

So far, Hinata didn't learn much. In her first 3 classes, they went over the syllabus and let the students talk for the rest of the period. Lunch, also known as study period, didn't require any necessary instruction other than to eat and study. It wasn't until she reached 5th period did any learning begin.

As soon as Hinata shuffled her way into the dimly lit English room, she heard a booming laughter arise from the back of the class. Glancing in that direction, she recognized the Inuzuka boy. He was cracking up at a joke he said to his friend. Small sniffles came out of Kiba as he wiped away a tear from his eyes. The friend, who Hinata was certain was Shino Aburame, uttered something to him and Kiba swiftly turned around to face the door frame. He took a look at her and then grinned, waving her to come over to their table. Hinata complied.

"Heh," he uttered, "Nice to see you again."

Hinata sat down and replied, "I agree. I didn't know you had English with Kurenai this period."

"I could say the same thing." The two of them chuckled.

The bell rang for 5th period to start, signaling to the class to settle down. Kurenai stood up from her seat and closed the door to the room. She clapped her hands together, "Welcome to English. I'll be your teacher for the next year. I hope that this will be an enlightening experience for both you and I."

The class made little to no attempt to agree with the woman speaking to them yet she carried on, "We'll be discussing today your summer reading assignments and towards the end of class, I will be checking for your complete annotations."

The class made an audible groan to which Kurenai smiled at, "Finally, a reaction. Anyway, we'll be spending the next few weeks talking about _The Great Gatsby_ themes and motifs and at the end there will be a final paper on it." Yet again, the class groaned at the thought of a final paper.

"Alright would anyone want to start discussion?" Kurenai eyed the room. A minute passed and still no response, "That's fine. How about I start and one of you kids answers?"

She sighed when she was answered with silence, "What are your thoughts about Gatsby and the green light? What do you think it means?"

Blank looks all around as she scanned the students' faces. Hinata considered participating, however, was beaten to it.

"Yes," Kurenai peered at the clipboard full of names and photo identifications, "Kiba?"

Kiba spoke without hesitation, "In my opinion, I think Gatsby is trying to reach for something he can only ever try to achieve."

He took a quick glance at the Hyuuga girl sitting beside him and continued.

* * *

Hinata came home around 7pm after spending the rest of the day hanging out with her friends. Immediately when she got entered, she went straight to the showers. It had been a long day socializing and she needed a little time relaxing.

When she finished, she strolled back into her room and plopped down on her bed. After staring at the ceiling for who knows how long, she grabbed her backpack and took a seat at her desk to start her homework.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._ It was a habit of Hinata when she was contemplating deeply. She wondered why the answer in the back of the book was 46 when the answer was clearly 35. She sighed and leaned back against her chair, again looking at her ceiling.

Sitting back upright, she grabbed a piece of star paper and wrote down her memorable event of the day:

 _September 1st, 2014: Traditional first day of school hang out with the girls :)_

Finishing the rest of her calculus and world history homework, she tucked them back into her backpack and turned on some classical music. Chopin's Nocturne Op 55 no. 1 played in the background. She lied back down on her bed, her fingers mimicking the notes being played; it was another one of her habits for when she was thinking too much.

This was one of Hinata's favorite pieces to play. It's bittersweet melody coupled with the anxious yet dramatic B section was what made it so enjoyable.

Once again, Hinata sprung up from her bed and grabbed another piece of star paper off of her desk:

 _September 1st, 2014: I saw Kiba again today. He always makes me forget about time._

Folding the strip of paper into it's star shape, she turned off the light and went to bed.

* * *

It was already October in Konoha, time was flying. Or It seemed so anyway.

Time moved so slow for Kiba, especially in English class. Kiba's attention kept drifting off of his English teacher as she described the final paper on their summer reading assignment. He'd look at the clock and it would say 12:38, try to focus on what Kurenai was saying for 5 minutes, and look back at the clock and it would still say 12:38. He let out a small sigh before leaning his head against his right fist, a bored expression plastered upon his face.

Hinata was taking notes about the final paper when she heard soft snores coming from her left. She spun around in her seat to see if Kurenai had noticed and luckily she hadn't. Turning back around in her seat, Hinata leaned forward a little in her desk, making sure she could cover Kiba's sleeping face. She peered over at him one last time before going back to her notes.

* * *

When Kiba awoke, he was met with a stare from Shino who was sitting right across from him. He let out a yelp causing the rest of the class to stare at him. He bashfully brushed it off and shot Shino a glare, "Dude, what the fuck."

Shino chuckled at the expense of his friend's embarrassment, "Don't fall asleep in class then."

The bell rang shortly after and Shino went his separate way from Kiba and Hinata. The pair usually walked together to their next class being as their classes were right next to each other. It was an odd friendship, according to Hinata's friends. She was timid and reserved while he was the opposite. In a weird way it worked.

"So," Kiba started, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Hinata thought for a moment before responding, "I don't think I have anything planned. Why?"

He grinned from ear to ear, "Great! You should come to the varsity soccer game and watch. We've been undefeated so far."

"Sure, what time?" she asked as they reached their destination.

"5pm or some time before then."

"I'll be there."

Hinata flashed him a smile and entered the classroom on the right. He made sure she fully entered before aggressively pumping his arm in the air to celebrate his little victory.

* * *

Hinata put down her stuff in a seat next to Sasuke Uchiha. They had become acquaintances early on due to the fact that Sakura and him were childhood friends. His friend group also overlapped with Hinata's own, causing the groups to merge into the Konoha 12, making them slightly closer.

"Hi Sasuke."

"Hn."

That's how most of their conversations began and ended. However after the talk she had with Kiba, she decided to carry it on further. She asked Sasuke about whether or not he would be going to Kiba's game seeing as they were closer friends. He shook his head and said that he was busy as were most of the guys. Hinata nodded deliberately, processing what the Uchiha had said.

She hoped a certain someone would be there.

* * *

Saturday came and Hinata got ready in a record 45 minutes, throwing on a pair of black leggings and an oversized olive pullover hoodie. Skipping down the stairs, she delicately took her purse by the strap and slung it on her shoulder. Both Hanabi and Neji were out, leaving Hinata to say goodbye to an empty house.

Hinata settled on walking to the art supply store seeing as Neji took the car for the day. None of the girls could come to the game either, making Hinata the only one going to support him. She wanted to make a poster for Kiba to make up for almost all of his friends not showing up but didn't have posterboard or any markers.

She arrived at the small store and took a quick peak inside before entering. The clerk at the register greeted her as she made her way to the posterboard section.

"Hmm," she muttered, bending down for a closer inspection, "Neon pink or orange?"

"Go for the pink" said a familiar voice behind her. She stood back up and spun around to see who the man was.

"S-Sai?"

He gave that half smile that Ino always hated, "The one and only."

"Ah, I forgot you worked here. How… how have you and Ino been?" Hinata asked meekly, avoiding his dark eyes. It had been a while since she had seen him and Ino together. Her eyes shifted slightly to meet his, the same smile remained on his face.

"We haven't been together since July."

"O-Oh…"

"It's okay." He shrugged, "I can't understand feelings, much less a woman's feelings especially of Ino's caliber."

His smile faded and eyes dimmed. Hinata hadn't noticed but his pale skin was lighter than before. His body slightly thinner, frail.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look…" she trailed off, not wanting to rub salt in his wound.

"I'm fine, really." His smile returned as if that moment of weakness hadn't happened.

Hinata was quiet for a moment and then opened her mouth to speak, "I'm sorry."

* * *

At 4:55 pm, Hinata arrived at the soccer field and sat down in the bleachers. She scanned the field for Kiba, hoping to see him before the game officially started. She spotted him stretching his legs, next to his other teammates. His teammate, who was facing the growing crowd of people, playfully punched his shoulder and signaled him to look at the small stadium. Complying, he looked over and saw the small Hyuuga girl in the very front, holding her sign that said '#8 IS GR8! GO KI8A!'.

He laughed.

* * *

The game against Suna High started and already Hinata was on the edge of her seat. The ball kept being swept away by the other team and then would return back to the home team. Her eyes darting back and forth between players like a ping pong ball. In her intense focus, she heard a chuckle come from the left.

"You're so invested into the game!"

"N-Naruto!" Hinata uttered out. Her palms became sweaty and she began to twiddle her fingers, "I-I thought you w-weren't coming…"

"I wasn't originally but he was so excited for this game for some reason so I thought I would come support my buddy ya'know?" He said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"O-Oh…"

Hinata gazed at the boy in front of her, captivated by his brightness. Her heartbeat rapidly picking up the pace like the game below them. It wasn't unlike her to be stunned by embarrassment but it was different this time. This time it was a person. This time it was Naruto.

Once Kiba got a hold of the ball, adrenaline pumped through his veins. He ran down the field, dodging other players and passing the ball to his other teammate only for him to shoot the ball back to Kiba. Kiba smirked, locking in on his target, he kicked the ball scoring the first point for either team. The team celebrated briefly by giving Kiba a pat on the back for his success. He chuckled and turned to the crowd to see if a certain someone had seen him.

Immediately, his smile disappeared.

The crowd went wild, causing Hinata to get out of her stupor. Her head spun in the direction of the game.

"Looks like we missed Kiba score." stated Naruto.

Hinata looked for the Inuzuka boy hastily. She spotted him, an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

* * *

Konoha won 3-0 against Suna. After Kiba's first goal, he went on a rampage trying to go after the ball; no one could get the ball away from him. The coach congratulated the team and gave a special shout out to Kiba. He didn't respond. The coach awkwardly moved on and told the boys to hit the showers. Kiba was the first to arrive in the locker room and the first leave as well. The guys bid their farewell to him but was met with no response.

Hinata and Naruto waited outside of the locker room for Kiba. When he came out, the two of them congratulated him.

"Nice! You were awesome out there ya'know!" Naruto placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder. He brushed it off and shifted away from his friend.

"Whatever."

"You really were great!" Hinata squeaked out.

He was surprised, "Oh... I mean," he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly happy, "If you say so."

Naruto observed his friend's behavior, the slight tinge to his face and gleam in his eye. He shook his head and spoke, "Hey, since Konoha won again, I'll treat you guys to food!"

* * *

At the small diner, the waitress set the three of them down in a booth. Kiba and Naruto sat on one side while Hinata sat alone. They each looked at the menu.

"I'm fucking starving." groaned out Kiba.

"Of course. You were a monster out there." Naruto replied back. A soft chime came from his pocket.

"Heh, guess that's why I'm on the varsity team."

Hinata giggled, "Are you guys ready to order?"

Naruto was too focused on the message he received to answer, leaving Kiba to respond for the both of them, "Yeah, he and I usually get the same thing here anyway. What are you getting?" He gave her a toothy grin.

"Just a milkshake and a small fry." She muttered meekly.

"Alright!" As Kiba called the waitress over to take their order, Hinata couldn't help but stare at Naruto's phone. She was curious as to who it was. Could it be Sasuke? Or Shikamaru?

Why was he smiling so widely?

* * *

"Earth to Hinata." a large hand shook in front of her face. Leaving her trance, she uttered out a small what before Kiba spoke again.

"You look dazed."

"Oh… I'm fine."

He took another look at the girl before following her line of sight to Naruto's phone. Irritated, he glanced over to see what he was so giddy about.

"Huh," blurted out Kiba, "Why are you texting Ino?"

Naruto quickly hid his phone back in his pocket before responding to Kiba, "Yeah why?"

Kiba glanced back at Hinata, her face slightly pale. His irritation grew as he turned back to Naruto, "Dude… do you like her?"

Naruto turned to look at Hinata before turning to face his friend, "Yeah, I like Ino."

* * *

A/N: i'm experimenting a little with prose and (trying) to decrease dialogue a little in this chapter so bare with me as i try to fix my horrendous writing style midway

[update] a longer chapter! decided to make it longer because idk when the next time i'll be posting is so :-)

[story] this is mostly a transition chapter and i think the next chapter be as well based on how i space things out

schedule notes: 5th period (English with Kurenai) is at 1225 and ends at 115, school officially starts at 825 and ends at 315

[other] critiques are welcome, reviews are welcome, questions are welcome

hope you guys enjoy!


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